Wheel resistance exercise device

ABSTRACT

An exercise device to be pushed by the user having a frame with handle bars and a fork carrying a road wheel and an adjustable resistance mechanism including a small resistance wheel that can contact the road wheel with relatively greater or lesser force to cause more or less resistance rotation of the road wheel.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The invention relates to wheeled exercise devices.

BACKGROUND

[0002] There are various wheel resistance devices, known as stationarybicycles, for exercise in which the user sits on the device and operatespedals against a resistance mechanism.

[0003] There are also resistance devices which allow the user to walk orrun while pushing the device and which use various means to impose loador resistance to increase the effort required to push or pull thedevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0004] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the exercise device 10 has a frame 12consisting of a frame shaft 14, at the top of which is a handle bar 16,and having attached at its bottom a wheel fork 18, having wheel forklegs 20 and 22, defining between them a wheel space 24, and terminatingin wheel supports 26A and 26B. The frame 12 has a tube extension portion28. In this particular embodiment, the frame 12 consists of an upperframe shaft portion 30, and a lower frame shaft portion 32, which arejoined together by bolts 34. A wheel and tire assembly 36 is located inthe wheel space 24 and is rotatably attached to the wheel supports 26Aand 26B by an axle assembly 37. This entire structure is similar to theassembly structure of a common bicycle frame front portion, handle bars,forks and wheels. The wheel assembly of a bicycle can be used.

[0005] The tube extension portion 28 of the frame 12 is adapted to holdan adjustable resistance assembly 38, which is designed to cause aresistance wheel to bear on the wheel and tire assembly 36 and isadjustable to increase or decrease the bearing pressure on the wheel andtire assembly 36.

[0006] In the preferred embodiment of the resistance assembly 38, alever 40 is pivotally attached between the wheel fork legs 20 and 22 bya pin or bolt 42, which defines a pivot axis 44 for the lever 40. Inthis embodiment the lever 40 is formed by a pair of spaced-apart opposedarms 46A and 46B connected by a brace 48. The lever 40 has a first end50 which is forward of the pivot axis 44 and a second end 52 which isrearward of the pivot point. Attached to the first end 50 of the lever40 is a small resistance wheel 54 rotatable on a bearing pin 56 mountedthrough the opposed arms 46A, 46B.

[0007] Attached at the second end 52 as part of the adjustableresistance assembly is an adjusting mechanism 60 which adjustably pivotsthe lever 40 on the pivot axis 44 to cause the resistance wheel 54 topivot as shown by arrow 62.

[0008] The adjusting mechanism 60 has an adjusting link 63 having alower end 64 and an upper end 66. The lower end 64 enters the hole 68 inthe brace 48 and is bent upward at 70 to be fixed in place. The upperend 66 is threaded (not shown). The adjusting link 62 passes through thetube extension portion 28 and has a threaded knob 76 threaded onto thethreads at the upper end 66. A spring 78 is fitted between the threadedknob 76 and the tube extension portion 28 and is constructed so as to bein a compressed condition for most of the useful travel of the knob 76so as to keep the knob 76 from turning by itself. A washer 80 ishelpful.

[0009] An additional exercise variable can be obtained by providingmeans to attach free weights to the devise. One means for doing this isshown in FIG. 3. As shown, the upper frame shaft portion 30 has a hole82 extending through it. A bolt 84 is in place through the hole and aweight 86 is mounted on the bolt 84. In this example, the weight 86 isretained by a wing nut 88 threaded onto the bolt 84 along with a washer90. FIG. 4 shows another means for mounting a weight in which a threadedrod 92 is welded to the shaft 30 at 94. In another embodiment a clampdevise could be configured with a rod or bolt attached, in which theposition of the clamp can be adjusted, up or down on the shaft. Otherforms could include all of the above means in which a pin or boltextends sideways of the shaft, to each side, allowing a weight to bemounted on each side of the shaft. An example of this is shown in FIG. 5in which the shaft 30 has rods 96, 98 extending oppositely to each side.The rods 96, 98 can be welded as at 100, 102 to the shaft 30. In thisconfiguration, weights 104, 106 can be oppositely mounted on therespective rods 100, 102, held by wing nuts 108, 110 and washers 112,114.

[0010] In use, the upper shaft portion 30 is assembled to the lowershaft portion 32. The knob 76 is adjusted to pivot the lever 40 to causethe resistance wheel 54 to bear on the tire 36 to a pressure as desired.Greater pressure will cause more resistance to turning of the tire 36.To obtain exercise the user takes a position behind the device afteradjusting the knob 76 to create the desired resistance. Then the userpushes the handlebars ahead of himself or herself to cause the tire 36to turn. The tire 36 will turn with greater or lesser required pushingforce depending on the setting of the knob 76.

[0011] If the knob 76 is set so that resistance wheel 54 provides littleor no resistance to turning of tire 36, then the device can be pushedeasily ahead of the user. But, as more resistance is placed on tire 36,more effort will be required to push the device. In general, as therequired force increases, more effort will be required to push thedevice. In general, as the required force increases the user will tiltthe frame 12 to angle the tire 36 further away, but preferably not morethan 45°.

[0012] Also, to change the muscles exercised, the shaft 14 may be tiltedless and its user uses his or her arms to push downward on the shaft 14to overcome the resistance, preventing the tire 36 from skidding.

[0013] Of course “cheating” by letting its tire 36 skid along the groundis self-defeating. If this happens, either greater downward pressure isexerted, or a sharper angle is created, or both.

[0014] The resistance can be adjusted according to a set plan such as,less resistance for warm-up or aerobic exercise and more resistance formuscle building such as by pushing through the legs and arms.

[0015] Although particular embodiments of the invention have beendescribed and illustrated herein, it is recognized that modificationsand variations may readily occur to those skilled in the art andconsequently it is intended that the claims be interpreted to cover suchmodifications and equivalents.

1. Exercise apparatus comprising: a frame having handle bars at an upperend and a wheel supporting portion at a lower end; a wheel rotatablymounted on the wheel supporting portion; a pivot arm pivotally attachedto the frame near the road wheel and having a first end and a secondend, the first end extending near the wheel and the second end extendingaway from the wheel; a resistance wheel rotatably attached to the firstend for contact with the wheel; and an adjustment mechanism attached tothe second end such that the adjustment mechanism can move the secondend up or down to cause the first end to move down or up respectivelyand thereby cause the resistance wheel to come into contact with thewheel with greater or lesser force to cause more or less resistance torotation of the wheel.
 2. Exercise apparatus comprising: a frame havinghandle bars at an upper end and a wheel supporting portion at a lowerend; a wheel rotatably mounted on the wheel supporting portion; a pivotarm pivotally attached to the frame near the wheel and having a firstend and a second end, the first end extending near the wheel and thesecond end extending away from the wheel; a resistance wheel rotatablyattached to the first end for contact with the wheel; an adjustmentmechanism attached to the second end such that the adjustment mechanismcan move the second end up or down to cause the first end to move downor up respectively and thereby cause the resistance wheel to come intocontact with the wheel with greater or lesser force to cause more orless resistance to rotation of the wheel; an elongate member extendingfrom the frame; and at least one weight removably supported on theelongate member.
 3. Exercise apparatus comprising: a frame having ahandle portion at an upper end and a wheel supporting portion at a lowerend; a wheel rotatably mounted on the wheel supporting portion; and aresistance adjusting mechanism having a resistance wheel bearing on thewheel and a mechanism for adjusting the force of the resistance wheel onthe wheel.
 4. The exercise apparatus of claim 3 wherein the frame iscomprised of two parts, an upper part having the handle bar and a lowerpart having the wheel supporting portion; and means to join the upperpart and the lower part.
 5. The exercise apparatus of claim 3 furthercomprising at least one weight removably attached to the frame.